I was having an email conversation recently with a friend of mine where he asked do larger fish key on Mayfly cripple fly patterns or standard dry flies. It got me thinking about the flies I use to imitate these insects during a Mayfly hatch. Here is a part of our discussion… “What is your…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Vince Marinaro’s Jassid Fly. I met some friends for coffee last Friday. One of them, Jim Ferguson, was sharing a fly he tied recently I recognized…a Jassid. I asked him if I could take a quick picture at the table and this is the result. These images aren’t…
It’s really been hit or miss on the river as of late. The warm weather has played havoc with the river levels, producing daily changes of 100 to 200 cubic feet per second (cfs). Much of the time, I expect the river to be between 1300 and 1400 cfs, but it’s been bouncing in the…
We fish a lot. And we’ve fished for a lot of years. In that time, we have used several nets. Why a post about nets? One word…memories. If nets could talk, what would yours say? From left to right: Dancingtrout lake net, Steve Stevens, Lyle Hand bamboo handle, Brodin, Snake River Net Co, Fisknat The…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Grouse Hackle, a fly from the mid-1800’s. I’m always searching for the next Throw Back Thursday Fly, using a variety of sources for inspiration. I’ve used Mike Valla’s The Founding Flies (2013). The first chapter is about Thaddeus Norris (1811-1878) and the Grouse Hackle fly is mentioned….
I’ve been tying lots of flies lately, trying to catch up on my customer orders. Several fly patterns are new to me and I thought I’d highlight them along with the other flies coming off my vise. The image above is a Biot Backed Stonefly. Devin Olsen created the fly a few years ago and…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Peacock Despair. I didn’t know about this fly until a potential customer brought it to my attention. Jack Sutton, a Canadian fly tyer, developed this fly in the 1930’s. The Peacock Despair was a popular fly for large brook trout in eastern Canada, Quebec and Labrador. It…
I started writing today’s post on May 1. Can you believe it’s May already? Perhaps it’s one of your favorite months as Salmonflies and Golden Stones are right around the corner. Are you ready for one of the best hatches of the year? Before I get too far, I’d like to quickly bring up a…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is George Anderson’s Peeking Caddis. This cased caddis fly pattern was developed in the 1970’s by George Anderson, owner of Yellowstone Angler in Livingston, MT. The fly imitates the Mother’s Day caddis (Brachycentrus) on the Yellowstone River (and other rivers as well). The bright green banding imitates the body…
Last weekend, I was participated in the 2023 Casting for Recovery Oregon North retreat at Lake Creek Lodge, in Camp Sherman, OR. While I’ve been a River Helper in previous years, 15 happened to arrive, so I volunteered to be the photographer for the day. If you’d like to support another retreat similar to this,…
